EX SMASHED MY SKULL TO PIECES
He almost killed me with a baseball bat
You know what it’s like when you’ve got kids. There’s rarely a moment to spare for yourself. Well, in February 2012, I was a single mum to three kids – Gabby, then 15, Ashlyn, 12, and Zac, 10.
I worked hard at two jobs, as an executive assistant and events manager. Life was busy. I’d been single for four years after divorcing my ex-husband Trevor. But I was ready to get back into the world of dating.
I joined an online dating site, and soon got chatting to a man called Glenn Cable, 42.
His profile said that he was a real-estate agent. I knew to work in that industry you had to undergo police checks, so I thought Glenn must be a decent guy.
He told me he’d never been married and had no kids.
Our online chats soon turned to flirty texts, then phone calls.
‘I’d like to take you out,’ he said one evening.
So we agreed to meet for dinner at a local restaurant.
Glenn looked just like his profile picture – he was tall, with dark hair and blue eyes.
‘These are for you,’ he smiled, handing me a gorgeous bunch of flowers.
He was such a gent, opening doors and paying the bill at the end of the night.
Glenn and I soon became a couple. And the kids seemed to love him, especially Zac.
In summer 2012, Glenn moved in with us.
But, shortly after, things began to change. I started noticing contact details and messages on my phone had been deleted.
Glenn never admitted it, but I knew it was him.
And then he started complaining that we didn’t spend enough time together.
‘You’re always with the kids,’ he’d moan.
It irritated me – and, in the end, I’d had enough. ‘It’s not working,’ I told him. Glenn agreed to give me some space. But, just days later…
‘I love you, I’ll do anything to make it work,’ he promised.
Part of me felt guilty, so I decided to give Glenn another chance.
Then, after only a few days, he said that he had a surprise for me.
Glenn took me and the kids to a beautiful, secluded spot by a lake. And he got down on one knee. ‘Will you marry me?’ he
He handed me a bunch of flowers, was such a gent
asked me.
My heart started pounding – but not with excitement.
I felt sick with confusion, wasn’t sure I wanted to marry Glenn.
But the kids looked so excited.
So I nodded my head.
‘Yes,’ I said, after a long, awkward silence.
Glenn took us for a meal after, but I had no appetite.
Deep down I knew I couldn’t marry him.
And, weeks later – in September 2012 – I decided I had to be true to myself.
So I phoned Glenn while I was at work and ended things once and for all. ‘I’m sorry, it’s over,’ I said. He seemed to take it well. Then I drove home and told Gabby and Ashlyn, while Zac was at basketball practice.
The girls seemed relieved. Gabby even did a fist pump.
‘I knew he wasn’t making you happy,’ she said.
Then, suddenly, there was a loud knock at the door and Glenn came bursting into the house.
‘Can I have a word in the bedroom?’ he asked.
I followed him and he closed the door behind us.
‘Why have you done this?’ Glenn started, angry.
I tried to let him down gently.
But, out of nowhere, he produced a baseball bat. Before I could react, he raised it above his head.
Everything seemed to happen in slow motion after that.
I instinctively held up my left arm to shield myself as Glenn brought the bat down on my head. I screamed as he rained down blow after painful blow.
As I crumpled to the floor, I shouted to the girls to run. Then everything went black.
The next thing I remember is waking up in a hospital bed.
I’d been in an induced coma for six weeks.
‘You were attacked,’ a nurse explained gently.
Over the next few weeks, I began to learn the horrible details.
It turned out that Glenn had rained down around 50 blows with the baseball bat.
He’d battered me unconscious, to a bloody pulp.
My skull was shattered to pieces. He’d broken my arm, smashed my cheekbone…
I shouted to the girls to run. Then everything went black
The girls had run to a neighbour for help and they’d called the police. My neighbour had managed to pull Glenn off me.
Then she’d held my shattered head together while we waited for an ambulance.
I’d needed several operations to repair my skull, and doctors had feared that I’d be severely brain damaged.
The poor kids had been so worried about me.
Thankfully, their dad Trevor was looking after them.
‘How could Glenn do this to me?’ I cried.
He’d almost killed me. It was a miracle I was still alive.
I spent the next few months in hospital recovering.
When I eventually saw my reflection in the mirror, though, I almost choked.
My head had been shaved for the surgeries. I was covered in stitches, scars, and bandages... I looked like something from a horror film.
‘That’s not me!’ I cried. ‘It can’t be.’
I struggled to come to terms with it.
I needed a titanium plate inserted to repair my shattered skull. I found I’d lost all sense of smell, was blind in my right eye.
I’m still here, though, I had to keep reminding myself.
After nine months in hospital, I went to a brain rehabilitation centre. There I learnt to cook, dress and shower myself again.
In April 2015, Glenn Cable, 44, appeared in the Supreme Court in Brisbane.
And I bravely read my victim impact statement to the judge.
I wanted Cable to see what he’d done. I wanted him to feel disgusted with himself, ashamed, remorseful…
Thankfully, a jury found him guilty of attempted murder and he was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
It was the justice that I needed in order to move on with my life.
It turned out that Cable had been married before and also had children.
The story he’d spun me was just a pack of lies.
After everything, I thought I’d never trust a man again.
But, in time, I reconciled with my ex-husband Trevor, now 43.
He’s been my rock – a huge support through all this.
Now, five years on, I’ve made it my mission to help others who may be suffering domestic violence in their relationships.
I give talks all over the country. And I just hope my story gives others the strength to report their attackers. It’s vital that people speak up before their attackers have the chance to go on to hurt someone else.
My attack didn’t just affect me – the kids, now 20, 17 and 14, have needed to have counselling, too. It sickens me that the girls heard Cable’s savage attack. He tried to smash away every last bit of me.
It’s been a long and painful road to recovery for me – my face has been rebuilt and I look different.
I’m still me, though, just a much stronger person.
And if I can survive this, I know that I can do anything.
He was found guilty of attempted murder